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Batrachoididae

January 01, 1970

Batrachoididae /bætrəˈkɔɪdɪdiː/ is the only family in the ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes /bætrəˈkɔɪdɪfɔːrmiːz/. Members of this family are usually called toadfish or frogfish: both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad-like appearance (batrakhos is Greek for frog).

Batrachoididae
Temporal range: Early Eocene–recent[1]
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Clade: Percomorpha
Order: Batrachoidiformes
Family: Batrachoididae
Jordan, 1896
Type species
Batrachoides tau
Lacepède 1800
Subfamilies

Batrachoidinae
Halophryninae
Porichthyinae
Thalassophryninae

Toadfish are benthic ambush predators that favor sandy or muddy substrates where their cryptic coloration helps them avoid detection by their prey. Toadfish are well known for their ability to "sing", males in particular using the swim bladder as a sound-production device used to attract mates.

Evolution edit

The earliest fossil remains of toadfish are of otoliths from the Early Eocene of France. The earliest articulated fossil taxa are Louckaichthys from the Oligocene of the Czech Republic and Zappaichthys from the Miocene of Austria.[1][2] Bacchiaichthys from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Italy very closely resembles toadfish, but it has some features that seem to refute any classification to the Batrachoidiformes as currently defined; however, toadfish are still thought to have likely diverged from their closest relatives in the Late Cretaceous.[1][3]

Description edit

Toadfish are usually scaleless, with eyes set high on large heads. Their mouths are also large, with both a maxilla and premaxilla, and often decorated with barbels and skin flaps. They are generally drab in colour, although those living on coral reefs may have brighter patterns. They range in size from 7.5 cm (3.0 in) length in Thlassophryne megalops, to 57 cm (22 in) in the Pacuma toadfish.[4]

The gills are small and occur only on the sides of the fish. The pelvic fins are forward of the pectoral fins, usually under the gills, and have one spine with several soft rays.[4] For the two separate dorsal fins, the first is smaller with spines, while the second has from 15 to 25 soft rays. The number of vertebrae range from 25 to 47.

Toadfishes of the genus Porichthys, the midshipman fishes, have photophores and four lateral lines. All toadfishes possess sharp spines on the first dorsal fin and on the opercle (gill cover). In fish of the subfamily Thalassophryninae, these are hollow and connect to venom glands capable of delivering a painful wound to predators.[4]

Distribution and habitat edit

Toadfishes are found worldwide. Most toadfish are marine, though some are found in brackish water and one subfamily, the Thalassophryninae, is found exclusively in freshwater habitats in South America. In particular, Daector quadrizonatus and Thalassophryne amazonica are known from the Atrato River in Colombia and the Amazon River, respectively.

Habits and reproduction edit

Toadfishes are bottom-dwellers, ranging from near-shore areas to deep waters. They tend to be omnivorous, eating sea worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and other fish. They often hide in rock crevices, among the bottom vegetation, or even dig dens in the bottom sediments, from which they ambush their prey. Toadfish can survive out of water for as long as 24 hours, and some can move across exposed mudflats at low tide using their fins.[4]

Males make nests, and then attract females by "singing", that is, by releasing air by contracting muscles on their swim bladders. The sound has been called a 'hum' or 'whistle', and can be loud enough to be clearly audible from the surface. The eggs are sticky on one side, so the female can attach them to the side of the nest. Each male attracts numerous females to his nest, so the eggs within have multiple mothers.

The male then guards the nest against predators. During this period, the male must survive on a limited supply of food, as he is not able to leave the immediate vicinity to hunt. The eggs rapidly develop into embryos, but these remain attached to the side of the nest until the age of about three to four weeks. After this time, they continue to cluster around and hide behind the male, until they are large enough to fend for themselves. This degree of parental care is very unusual among fishes.[4]

Genera edit

About 83 species of toadfishes are grouped into 21 genera, as:[5]

Order Batrachoidiformes

Timeline of genera edit

QuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleocenePorichthysBatrachoidesPerulibatrachusQuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleocene

Economics edit

Toadfish are not normally commercially exploited, but they are taken by local fishermen as a food fish, and by trawlers where they usually end up as a source of fishmeal and oil. Some smaller toadfish from brackish-water habitats have been exported as freshwater aquarium fishes.

The western Atlantic species Opsanus tau, known as the oyster toadfish, is quite widely used as a research animal, while a few species, most notably Thalassophryne amazonica, are occasionally kept as aquarium fish.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Carnevale, Giorgio; Collette, Bruce B. (2014-07-29). "† Zappaichthys harzhauseri , gen. et sp. nov., a new Miocene toadfish (Teleostei, Batrachoidiformes) from the Paratethys (St. Margarethen in Burgenland, Austria), with comments on the fossil record of batrachoidiform fishes". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (5): 1005–1017. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.854801. ISSN 0272-4634.
  2. ^ Přikryl, T.; Carnevale, G. (2017-03-31). "An Oligocene toadfish (Teleostei, Percomorpha) from Moravia, Czech Republic: The earliest skeletal record for the order Batrachoidiformes". Bulletin of Geosciences: 123–131. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1662. hdl:2318/1661149. ISSN 1802-8225.
  3. ^ Friedman, Matt; V. Andrews, James; Saad, Hadeel; El-Sayed, Sanaa (2023-06-16). "The Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in spiny-rayed fishes: surveying "Patterson's Gap" in the acanthomorph skeletal record André Dumont medalist lecture 2018". Geologica Belgica. doi:10.20341/gb.2023.002. ISSN 1374-8505.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hutchins, J. Barry (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 135–136. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  5. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2008). "Batrachoididae" in FishBase. December 2008 version.

Further reading edit

  • Nelson, Joseph S. (2006) "Order Batrachoidiformes" Fishes of the World (4th ed.) John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9 pp. 248–249.
  • Collette, B. B. "Order Batrachoidiformes, Batrachoididae, Toadfishes." In Carpenter, Kent E. (ed.) (2002) The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic Vol. 2, Bony fishes. Pt. 1 Acipenseridae to Grammatidae Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Special publication of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists no. 5) ISBN 92-5-104826-6
  • Collette, B.B. and J. L. Russo (1981) "A Revision of the Scaly Toadfishes, Genus Batrachoides, with Descriptions of Two New Species from the Eastern Pacific" Bulletin of Marine Science 31(2): pp. 197–233.
  • Hutchins, J.B. (1976) "A revision of the Australian frogfishes (Batrachoididae)" Records of the Western Australian Museum 4(1): pp. 3–43.
  • Sepkoski, Jack (2002). . Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  • CBC Radio Quirks and Quarks show podcast segment on unique toad fish habits with links to primary sources.

External links edit

 
Wikispecies has information related to Batrachoididae.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batrachoididae.
  • FishBase entry on Batrachoididae

January 01, 1970
batrachoididae, ɔɪ, only, family, finned, fish, order, batrachoidiformes, ɔɪ, ɔːr, members, this, family, usually, called, toadfish, frogfish, both, english, common, name, scientific, name, refer, their, toad, like, appearance, batrakhos, greek, frog, temporal. Batrachoididae b ae t r e ˈ k ɔɪ d ɪ d iː is the only family in the ray finned fish order Batrachoidiformes b ae t r e ˈ k ɔɪ d ɪ f ɔːr m iː z Members of this family are usually called toadfish or frogfish both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad like appearance batrakhos is Greek for frog BatrachoididaeTemporal range Early Eocene recent 1 PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Actinopterygii Clade Percomorpha Order Batrachoidiformes Family BatrachoididaeJordan 1896 Type species Batrachoides tauLacepede 1800 Subfamilies Batrachoidinae Halophryninae Porichthyinae Thalassophryninae Toadfish are benthic ambush predators that favor sandy or muddy substrates where their cryptic coloration helps them avoid detection by their prey Toadfish are well known for their ability to sing males in particular using the swim bladder as a sound production device used to attract mates Contents 1 Evolution 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Habits and reproduction 5 Genera 6 Timeline of genera 7 Economics 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksEvolution editThe earliest fossil remains of toadfish are of otoliths from the Early Eocene of France The earliest articulated fossil taxa are Louckaichthys from the Oligocene of the Czech Republic and Zappaichthys from the Miocene of Austria 1 2 Bacchiaichthys from the Late Cretaceous Maastrichtian of Italy very closely resembles toadfish but it has some features that seem to refute any classification to the Batrachoidiformes as currently defined however toadfish are still thought to have likely diverged from their closest relatives in the Late Cretaceous 1 3 Description editToadfish are usually scaleless with eyes set high on large heads Their mouths are also large with both a maxilla and premaxilla and often decorated with barbels and skin flaps They are generally drab in colour although those living on coral reefs may have brighter patterns They range in size from 7 5 cm 3 0 in length in Thlassophryne megalops to 57 cm 22 in in the Pacuma toadfish 4 The gills are small and occur only on the sides of the fish The pelvic fins are forward of the pectoral fins usually under the gills and have one spine with several soft rays 4 For the two separate dorsal fins the first is smaller with spines while the second has from 15 to 25 soft rays The number of vertebrae range from 25 to 47 Toadfishes of the genus Porichthys the midshipman fishes have photophores and four lateral lines All toadfishes possess sharp spines on the first dorsal fin and on the opercle gill cover In fish of the subfamily Thalassophryninae these are hollow and connect to venom glands capable of delivering a painful wound to predators 4 Distribution and habitat editToadfishes are found worldwide Most toadfish are marine though some are found in brackish water and one subfamily the Thalassophryninae is found exclusively in freshwater habitats in South America In particular Daector quadrizonatus and Thalassophryne amazonica are known from the Atrato River in Colombia and the Amazon River respectively Habits and reproduction editToadfishes are bottom dwellers ranging from near shore areas to deep waters They tend to be omnivorous eating sea worms crustaceans mollusks and other fish They often hide in rock crevices among the bottom vegetation or even dig dens in the bottom sediments from which they ambush their prey Toadfish can survive out of water for as long as 24 hours and some can move across exposed mudflats at low tide using their fins 4 Males make nests and then attract females by singing that is by releasing air by contracting muscles on their swim bladders The sound has been called a hum or whistle and can be loud enough to be clearly audible from the surface The eggs are sticky on one side so the female can attach them to the side of the nest Each male attracts numerous females to his nest so the eggs within have multiple mothers The male then guards the nest against predators During this period the male must survive on a limited supply of food as he is not able to leave the immediate vicinity to hunt The eggs rapidly develop into embryos but these remain attached to the side of the nest until the age of about three to four weeks After this time they continue to cluster around and hide behind the male until they are large enough to fend for themselves This degree of parental care is very unusual among fishes 4 Genera editAbout 83 species of toadfishes are grouped into 21 genera as 5 Order Batrachoidiformes Family Batrachoididae Subfamily Batrachoidinae Genus Amphichthys two species Genus Batrachoides 9 species Genus Opsanus six species Genus Potamobatrachus one species Genus Sanopus six species Genus Vladichthys one species Subfamily Halophryninae Genus Allenbatrachus three species Genus Austrobatrachus two species Genus Barchatus one species Genus Batrachomoeus five species Genus Batrichthys two species Genus Bifax one species Genus Chatrabus three species Genus Colletteichthys three species Genus Halobatrachus Lusitanian toadfish one species Genus Halophryne four species Genus Perulibatrachus three species Genus Riekertia broadbodied toadfish one species Genus Triathalassothia two species Subfamily Porichthyinae Genus Aphos one species Genus Porichthys midshipmen 14 species Subfamily Thalassophryninae Genus Daector five species Genus Thalassophryne six species Timeline of genera editEconomics editToadfish are not normally commercially exploited but they are taken by local fishermen as a food fish and by trawlers where they usually end up as a source of fishmeal and oil Some smaller toadfish from brackish water habitats have been exported as freshwater aquarium fishes The western Atlantic species Opsanus tau known as the oyster toadfish is quite widely used as a research animal while a few species most notably Thalassophryne amazonica are occasionally kept as aquarium fish See also editList of fish common names List of fish familiesReferences edit a b c Carnevale Giorgio Collette Bruce B 2014 07 29 Zappaichthys harzhauseri gen et sp nov a new Miocene toadfish Teleostei Batrachoidiformes from the Paratethys St Margarethen in Burgenland Austria with comments on the fossil record of batrachoidiform fishes Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34 5 1005 1017 doi 10 1080 02724634 2014 854801 ISSN 0272 4634 Prikryl T Carnevale G 2017 03 31 An Oligocene toadfish Teleostei Percomorpha from Moravia Czech Republic The earliest skeletal record for the order Batrachoidiformes Bulletin of Geosciences 123 131 doi 10 3140 bull geosci 1662 hdl 2318 1661149 ISSN 1802 8225 Friedman Matt V Andrews James Saad Hadeel El Sayed Sanaa 2023 06 16 The Cretaceous Paleogene transition in spiny rayed fishes surveying Patterson s Gap in the acanthomorph skeletal record Andre Dumont medalist lecture 2018 Geologica Belgica doi 10 20341 gb 2023 002 ISSN 1374 8505 a b c d e Hutchins J Barry 1998 Paxton J R Eschmeyer W N eds Encyclopedia of Fishes San Diego Academic Press pp 135 136 ISBN 0 12 547665 5 Froese Rainer and Daniel Pauly eds 2008 Batrachoididae in FishBase December 2008 version Further reading editNelson Joseph S 2006 Order Batrachoidiformes Fishes of the World 4th ed John Wiley amp Sons Hoboken NJ ISBN 978 0 471 25031 9 pp 248 249 Collette B B Order Batrachoidiformes Batrachoididae Toadfishes In Carpenter Kent E ed 2002 The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic Vol 2 Bony fishes Pt 1 Acipenseridae to Grammatidae Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome Special publication of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists no 5 ISBN 92 5 104826 6 Collette B B and J L Russo 1981 A Revision of the Scaly Toadfishes Genus Batrachoides with Descriptions of Two New Species from the Eastern Pacific Bulletin of Marine Science 31 2 pp 197 233 Hutchins J B 1976 A revision of the Australian frogfishes Batrachoididae Records of the Western Australian Museum 4 1 pp 3 43 Sepkoski Jack 2002 A compendium of fossil marine animal genera Bulletins of American Paleontology 364 560 Archived from the original on 2011 07 23 Retrieved 2011 05 17 CBC Radio Quirks and Quarks show podcast segment on unique toad fish habits with links to primary sources External links edit nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Batrachoididae nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batrachoididae FishBase entry on Batrachoididae Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Batrachoididae amp oldid 1193454209, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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